TUCKING into my salt and pepper king prawns in the glare of my phone camera, a sense of freedom washes over me.
After a lifetime of feeling self-conscious about eating in public, I’m proudly sharing the contents of my Chinese takeaway on social media.
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The experience is as delicious as the food.
Two years ago, revealing what I was having for dinner online would have been unthinkable.
When you are bigger, strangers judge you for having a simple treat like a takeaway or chocolate bar. It gives them a reason to make a nasty comment.
But when I joined TikTok a couple of years ago, I started seeing content creators who looked just like me and I was intrigued.
There they were, happily sharing videos alongside the hashtag #wieiad, which stands for What I Eat In A Day.
My favourites were Welsh couple Corys World and Lea Charlotte, along with their mate Charly Anne C.
One video of Charly plating up her Chinese takeaway had 6.9MILLION views. I also loved Becki Jones, from Ellesmere Port in Cheshire.
I’ll deliberately include things that get a hate response
One of her #wieiad videos, which showed her tucking into a sausage sandwich, yoghurt, creme egg, iced biscuit, lamb roast, jelly, doughnuts and a banana, got 5.9million likes.
When I started my TikTok account, @georgythomson, in early 2023, I was planning to share fashion and travel content relevant to other fat people.
But one day I was hungover and decided to order a Chinese takeaway.
I shared it online and, to my surprise, I got 47,000 views, plus lots of nice comments. Normally, I get 2,000 to 3,000 views. I was so thrilled, it spurred me on to do more.
Now I’ve grown my following to nearly 7,500, posting alongside my job at a bookmaker’s and looking after my two-year-old daughter.
I absolutely love creating my content and won’t apologise for it. Luckily my partner is really supportive too.
I absolutely love creating my content and won’t apologise for it
TikTok has a creators’ fund you can sign up to, which pays you based on views and engagement, so you don’t necessarily need to secure “paid for” advertising with brands.
I need to boost my followers to 10,000 so I can start making money this way.
Although I haven’t made much money yet, I hope to soon — some fatfluencers can rake in thousands.
You can also make money selling through TikTok shop.
It works by teaming up with a brand, via the shop, who will send me treats, like boxes of cakes.
I’ll then post a video about those treats, with an affiliate link. If people buy the cake boxes through my link, I’ll get commission for that. I’ve made a couple of hundred pounds that way so far.
One of the main downsides is the trolling, which can be vicious. For every ten lovely comments I get on my videos, I’ll get a troll chiming in with a nasty one.
I’ve been told that I’m disgusting, that I shouldn’t have a child and that I shouldn’t be allowed to travel on planes.
You’d think I’d be upset but I’m not. It says more about the troll than it does me.
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I don’t block these keyboard warriors as they are doing me a service.
Because the more trolls engage with your content, the more views and followers you get.
In fact, I’ll deliberately include things in my videos that I know will get a hate response and generate more clicks. For instance, when I’m on holiday abroad, I’ll post a video where I’m eating a KFC.
I want to show fat girls that we can eat what we like and embrace our bodies
People detest it for some reason, but that’s fine by me because it means they’ll watch more.
Although I enjoy trying the local restaurants, there’s no value in sharing that.
I do worry about my health but I’ve actually lost 4st this year by using the weight-loss injection Wegovy.
The trolls claim I’m spongeing off the NHS by taking Wegovy because I also eat junk food. But I didn’t get it for free.
It costs me £249 online every month, but I earn my own money and that’s how I choose to spend it. And I really believe it’s money well spent.
It isn’t my responsibility to set an example
I was a size 32 in January and now I’ve dropped to a 28. But if I post a video of me eating a salad, I get 5,000 views at best.
It’s more like 80,000 if I have kebabs and burgers.
My aim is to get down to a size 20, but I don’t want to get much smaller because being larger is what I’m all about.
I’m proud to be a fat girl. Plus I’ll lose a lot of my audience if I drop too much weight.
Even if people say it’s disgusting, I love the attention it brings. For any critics who say I’m promoting junk food for clicks: Mind your own business. It’s my body, it’s my life. If you want to eat avocado on toast, you do you. But I’ll eat what I want.
I’m not worried about being seen as irresponsible — there are enough skinny people out there encouraging under-eating so you’re always going to upset someone.
I want to show fat girls that we can eat what we like and embrace our bodies.
It isn’t my responsibility to set an example
It isn’t my responsibility to set an example.
Having a daughter myself, people ask what message my content sends to kids.
But I’m balancing out the constant diet posts that are rammed down young girls’ throats and the likes of the Kardashians promoting so-called “perfection”.
I know science has shown links between obesity and conditions such as cancer and diabetes. For me, there’s a balance.
I don’t binge-eat at every single meal, just when I’m creating videos.
There’s no shame in eating and I’m proud to be part of a community of plus-size people who are showing that, and making money at the same time.
NO EXCUSE FOR BAD EATING
THE bumper portions and constant snacking on ultra-processed foods in TikTok videos concern Jane, aka The Functional Foodie, who says:
“Unhealthy food is packed with calories and devoid of nutrients. I worry about the message it sends, especially when you have a younger generation who haven’t grown up cooking and don’t understand the long-term risks.
Ultra-processed foods are having a detrimental effect on our health and lifespan, yet a survey last week found one in six adults admits being addicted to junk food.
The NHS is being brought to its knees by having to deal with obesity-related illness. We know that poor diet and being overweight can increase the chances of developing diseases such as cancer and type 2 diabetes.
There is nothing wrong with cake in moderation. Just make it a homemade one, rather than a processed, packaged version.
We choose what we put in our mouths, so there are no excuses for not making better choices. But when you get more clicks and income by reaching for another packet of mini rolls, you are going to keep doing it.”
By Jane Hamilton
Revolting vids get more hits
GROSS-OUT food videos are the perfect vehicle for wannabe influencers looking to build their reach, argues celebrity PR agent Mayah Riaz.
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She says: “THIS trend is getting huge reach at the moment – and it’s one that anyone can get involved with.
The primary incentive is money.
Influencers see growing reach as a way to monetise their content and potentially win lucrative brand partnerships, by showing that they have high engagement.
The more disgusting the video, the more interest there will be.
The public enjoys looking at repulsive things – it’s probably why the bushtucker trials on I’m A Celebrity are so popular.
And I think there’s a backlash against the “perfect” images you see on platforms such as Instagram.
Now, the shock factor sells.
But these videos are carefully curated by people who know what they are doing.
The abuse some of these accounts get is horrific, but many of them see it as part of the job.”
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